What's your earliest memory of London?
My parents brought me for the first time when I was about seven. We went to Trafalgar Square and got covered in pigeons. Then we went to Madame Tussauds and were terrified in the scary bit, and then ended up at the London Palladium, an extraordinary theatre. Brilliant day.
Any advice you'd give a tourist?
First-timers have to see the sights — stand on Waterloo Bridge and look at Parliament, then turn round and look at St Paul's. Go to the Tower of London, see Buckingham Palace, visit some of the main museums, galleries and theatres. But each time you come back, the layers available to you become more interesting. Next time maybe go to the ICA, the smaller theatres, the Africa Centre, comedy — there's always something new to do.
Where would you stay?
Well, I have friends who like to stay at the Covent Garden Hotel. But if budget isn't a problem, why wouldn't you stay somewhere like Claridge's, The Ritz or The Dorchester for a hyper-real experience you won't forget?
Your favourite music venues?
I like the smaller places. I love the Royal Albert Hall, it's beyond beautiful and is oddly intimate for somewhere that size. For rock'n'roll, I like the Hammersmith Apollo. The 12 Bar Club on Denmark Street is a little place where singer-songwriters go to try stuff out. Camden's good for live music — there's Dingwalls, The Enterprise and I love the Roundhouse.
What's the last gig you saw in London?
Mark Morriss, the singer in The Bluetones, played at a small pub in Camden. It was absolutely beautiful. Tonight I'm seeing Matt Berry — the comic actor from The IT Crowd — at The Garage in Islington. I like going to shows that take you by surprise.
Your favourite place for a pint?
Well, I live in Hampstead now, and there are not really many boozers, but there are some lovely gastro-pubs, like The Wells on Wells Walk. On a Monday night I go to the pub quiz at the Tufnell Park Tavern, often with Charlie Higson (from The Fast Show), Ricky, the lead singer in the Kaiser Chiefs, and Mark Morriss. Dom Joly came down the other week. And we won!
What's the best meal you've had in London?
It was Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's. I'm vegetarian and it was amazing. I remember having a roast tomato soup which came in three parts and was kind of put together in front of you, and something involving truffles that took my head off! It was art and everything about it was flawless. I like Manna too, a vegetarian restaurant in Primrose Hill.
Your guilty London pleasure?
Wandering around like a fool on the rare occasions I have nothing to do. I love to get a cab into town and just walk the streets in a kind of daze, looking at people and having no agenda whatsoever.
What would you do if you were mayor for the day?
I would make everyone drive electric vehicles or walk. No one could go much faster than 20 miles an hour, there would be much more space on the roads and less road rage. I'd make London vegetarian for a day and have free concerts, too.
Tell me something I don't know about London
There's this odd, secret shop on Pond Street in Hampstead that sells old musical instruments. You have to knock on the door to go in — it's like when they broke into Tutankhamun's tomb. Once I bought a strange lap violin with a trumpet bell.
